Date of Graduation

1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Committee Chair

Hany H. Ammar

Committee Member

Wils L. Cooley

Committee Member

Bojan Cukie

Abstract

Learning is a process of integrating the new and unfamiliar with the complex, pre-existing structure of knowledge that exists within an individual’s mind. Education, which takes place while the educator and learner are separated by time, distance, or both, is defined as Distance Education. The demand for educational software is growing exponentially with the surge of interest in educational reform, the Internet and Distance Education. The use of Internet and specifically the World Wide Web (Web) as a media for distance education is an evolving solution to the problem of increasing numbers of students in the University setting. To meet these needs, a wide variety of ‘Virtual Universities’ are appearing on the web. There are gaps, however in these systems which do not meet the needs of the participants as they are not capable of providing with enough interactivity between the participants.

This project aims at designing and developing a new approach towards Interactive Distance Learning to provide distance education in both asynchronous and synchronous modes. Various tools are embedded to meet the needs of both instructors and students. In asynchronous mode the interactive tools like Online Message Boards, Online Quizzes, Online exams, Online Course Registration, Online Grades Tool, Assignments, and Course-notes provide education effectively even when the instructors and the students do not participate at the same time. In synchronous mode interactive tools like Online Discussion Groups, Online Students Feedback tool and Microsoft NetMeeting provide education effectively when both the students and the instructors participate simultaneously. It also consists of effective tools which enable both the administrators as well as the instructors to update the respective databases making the tool more effective.

This approach provides immediacy of interaction between the instructors and the students such as immediate feedback and response, thereby enhancing the learning process.

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